Beyond Sunset
by Tanzettigirl
Summary: While traveling in Mexico Edward meets Tommy. When things go wrong they travel to Boston to find Billy, who is deep in depression over the murder of his wife. Along with Hailey and Kimberly, can Edward and Tommy save Billy and Tommy's project in time?
1. Thing of the Night

**Obligatory stuff: I don't own Power Rangers or Twilight I just like to play in other people's backyards. **

**The first official Power Rangers/Twilight crossover is here! **

**A few quick notes. I'm going off cannon a little bit with Tommy. This takes place post-Dino Thunder, but Tommy has maintained his Zeo powers (which is still cannon by the way incase you didn't see Forever Red. If you haven't seen it I suggest heading over to youtube, it's quite good). **

**To my Billy-centered fans don't be fooled by the Tommy/Edward listing, there's plenty of Billy for all of us. This is also my first Billy angst story which I'm excited about, although I have to admit was not easy corrupting our poor sweet boy genius, but it had to be done. The things I do for my fans! **

**For the Twilight fans, I've done my best to capture Edward in all his glory. This takes place during New Moon at that fateful time when most of us defected to Team Jacob. I've done my best to stick with cannon, and hope that it meets your expectations. **

**For those of you who are used to my slightly more subdued style, just a word of warning, this story is going to be much more adult. Serious Lemony goodness, for PR fans who don't know what that means, well, just remember I did give this an M rating. **

**As always critiques of any type are welcome. Feel free to be constructive in your criticism, I welcome all comments and look forward to your reactions. **

**Now, on with the story!**

*********

Sunset.

Dusk, evening, Twilight. A time of beauty, a time of romance. A time people look to the colors of the horizon, or to the flowers bowing their heads to the dying light.

But for Edward Cullen, twilight was something altogether different. It was a time of darkness, of danger. A time when things of nightmares came out to haunt the living. A time for things…well, like him.

He paced the street of the city without a sound. The streets were crowded, as they were nearly every night in Cancun's summer. Night was his only refuge from the stuffy hotel near the outskirts of the city where he spent his days. Mexico wasn't exactly the friendliest environment to those of the "sparkly" persuasion, but he made do.

Normally he walked the streets without much purpose. He didn't have much purpose these days. He'd had a purpose once, she had been the most important thing in his life, until his life became more dangerous to her than the things he could protect her from. So he'd made the decision to leave, to protect her from the thing that hurt her most, him. So now he walked the streets alone, half a world away from the thing he loved most. A shadow once more.

Tonight, however, there was a purpose to his actions. He knew where he was headed, and who would be there. A few nights ago while perusing some random bars on this street the thoughts of two particular men had caught his attention, they were planning a murder.

He reached the front door of the establishment just as the man he'd first heard the thoughts of entered. For the last three nights he'd followed the men to this bar as they met with friends, and planned their action. From what he could tell it was some kind of gang assassination. It was going to be clean and simple, or so they thought. They had no idea that a few tables away a monster listened to their thoughts, making plans of his own.

Tonight was the night. That was the thought on all of their minds. The target, a man they called Raul, would be in an alleyway awaiting a drug exchange they'd covertly set up. One of them would go in as the dealer, and then the others would jump him from the shadows. Edward saw the location of the alley, thanks to their multiple viewpoints and even had a clear picture of them marked man from their heads. He understood their crude street Spanish more than well enough to get information from their words.

The leader spoke for them to go, and the four men stood and headed to the exit. Edward counted to ten then stood up to leave to. He was halfway to the door when something hit him hard from the side. He felt the splash of warm liquid hit his shirt and his nose was filled with the scent of alcohol.

"Oh, dude, I'm so sorry," said a voice from his right. A tall man, well muscled through the shoulders stood next to him, holding two now empty shot glasses. His black hair was cut short and spiked up randomly around his head. He smelled heavily of sand and sweat, and Crown Royal.

"It's fine," Edward said. He adjusted the front of his shirt uselessly; it was soaked right to the skin. He hoped the murderers wouldn't smell him coming.

"No," the man said. "It was completely my fault. Let me buy you a drink to make up for it."

"That's completely unnecessary," Edward said in his most diplomatic tone. The men were already out the door and their scent would be fading fast. "I'm leaving anyway."

He stepped for the doorway but the man was quick and stepped in front of him. "Are you sure? It would be my pleasure."

Edward waved the man away. "It's quite alright."

"Okay," the man said stepping back. "But, hey, if you're ever in here again I'm buying you that drink. I'm here all the time. The name's Tommy Oliver."

Edward nodded. "I'll remember that."

Then he stepped through the crowd quickly and out the door, following his prey.


	2. Unconventional

"And in conclusion, we have found that the high velocity transistors do not give a Heisenberg condenser the needed power for high efficiency output. Thank you."

Billy stepped back from the podium and applause filled the large conference room. Thank god he was done. If he had to do one more of these damn speeches he was going to throw the podium across the room.

He waited a tencount then stepped off stage walking straight down the stairs to the small hallway set up as a staging area. The hall was empty at the moment save for a long folding table covered with a vinyl wood top with large patches of particle board showing. He leaned against the rickety table and reached into the inner pocket of his blazer. He withdrew a small silver flask, uncorked it, and proceeded to down the contents.

"My god, William," said a voice from behind him. "It's not even ten thirty. A little early for the good stuff isn't it?"

Billy looked over to see David Summer standing next to him. David had been his college at MIT for the last four years. They'd been roommates his first semester there, and lab partners the next year. Dave was the main reason Billy still had a job at MIT, and this little guest speaker gig was a part of his payback.

"Ten thirty is it?" Billy said shaking the flask. The contents rang with a soft ting indicating it was slightly less than half full. "I'm behind then." He lifted the flask to his lips once again, emptying half the contents in one swallow.

Dave just scoffed and shook his head. "You're going to kill yourself if you keep going like this," he said. "You need to get out. Interact with people. Get yourself a girl or something."

"I have a girl," Billy replied, keeping his eyes on the wall in front of him.

"You have a witch that lives in your basement and only emerges long enough to sober your sorry ass up so you can get to work on time."

"Fuck you."

Dave stepped back from the table with an exasperated sigh. He turned away like he was going to leave then complete the circle to come around and face Billy once again. "I'm just trying to help you man. You're a fucking genius when you're on your game, you need to get back there."

Billy dropped the flask to the table and looked his friend straight in the eye. "What if I don't want to go back?"

Dave's eyes softened a little. He knew the reason for Billy's decent into madness. It was the reason he'd enabled it all these years. "It's been four years, William. You need to move forward."

Billy tore his gaze away and looked at the wall again. How was he supposed to move on? What was the point of finding peace when it could be taken away so easily?

Dave sighed again and took a cautious step forward. "Look," Dave said. "Why don't you come to the mixer tonight? You can meet some people, maybe make some friends, maybe just do something other than drown in your self-pity. Come on, man, please?"

It was Billy's turn to sigh. He hated public functions even more than he hated public speaking. "I'll think about it."

Dave clapped a hand to his shoulder. "Don't think too long," Dave said, his voice harsher than normal. "If you don't show up, I'll call Kimberly."

Billy's chest clenched at the threat. Kimberly was the last person he wanted to deal with this weekend, or ever.

"Fine," he said. "I'll be there."

"Good." Dave gave his shoulder a re-assuring pat before letting go. "Starts in an hour, and remember to have fun."

"Fun," Billy said lifting the flask once more only to discover its contents mysteriously gone. "Yeah, right."

*****

**Okay, I know, short chapters. Sorry, haven't hit my stride yet. At least I'm posting multiples, as is my habit. Hope you're enjoying. Don't forget to review!!**


	3. Red Avenger

Edward stood in the alley just out of sight of the two men. The one known as Raul was standing with one of the gang members under a dim lamp at the back of some club. The others were hidden at various points in the alley, waiting for the signal to attack.

Edward stood back waiting on the men. He had ditched his liquor soaked shirt several streets back on the off chance one of them men caught the sent of it. He realized he hadn't really decided what he'd do with the men once he'd stopped them. Since leaving Forks he'd kept up his families pledge not to feed on humans. He'd even spend the better part of the previous night hunting in the desert nearby, but being here in the alley he couldn't deny that a feast of desert rat paled in comparison to the scent of the Latino murderer.

There had been a time when he wouldn't hesitate to feed on the criminal minded. He'd used his ability to pick the perfect targets, justifying himself that he was ridding the world of something ugly, and evil. He also knew there was a lack of fulfillment in such ventures. Killing a murderer may have been a favor to humanity, but in the end it was only trading one evil for another.

No, he wouldn't feed on them, as much as they probably deserved it. But that being decided made his task harder. He hadn't come prepared to restrain them. He was fairly sure they were known criminals and turning them over to the proper authorities would assure them entrance into the criminal justice system, but could he hold back enough to only injure them? Surely he could, restraint was a specialty of his these days.

He once again reached out with his mind, accounting for the minds of the other three men waiting in hiding. He could hear their thoughts clearly, waiting on the signal to strike. But there was a fourth mind in the mix. Someone of a different mentality than the gang members. That mind was on watching them, but he couldn't make out the exact thoughts.

Who was that?

Before he could think about it anymore the signal came and the three men attacked. The alley was flooded with action. Edward hesitated only a second before storming the men. He was much faster than they were. He swooped in, taking them out one by one until he got to the leader. The man was alone in the alley and Edward approached him slowly. His friends were on the ground in various stages or disarray. The man's eyes grew wide as Edward came under the light. He knew he was a towering sight, his pale skin glowing under the yellow artificial light. He let out a soft growl and the man scampered back until he was pinned against the wall.

Edward could smell his fear. It was intoxicating. The scent immediately took him back to a time when it was good to be like this. Perhaps it would be different this time, to rid the world of one more lowlife. This man had been willing to take the life of another for no reason. Edward had a reason. He inhaled that scent once more. It could be different, he could taste human blood again.

There was a rush like wind then Edward was thrown into a wall. He rolled on his shoulder and saw he was on the other side of the alley, a good ten feet from where he'd been standing. The gang leader was still on the ground, unconscious now, but he wasn't alone. Standing over him was a large figure in a tight red bodysuit. The figure turned his way and Edward saw the visor of his helmet was shaped like a large black star. Edward starred at the helmet, as if willing the mind behind it to speak to him, but he heard nothing. It wasn't like with her, he could still feel an awareness of the mind behind the mask, he just couldn't read it.

The figure turned back to the gang leader and in one swift motion picked him up. He stood with the criminal cradled in his arms like a child and disappeared in a wash of red light.

What the hell was that?

*****

An hour later Tommy's head hit the pillow hard. His mind was still reeling from the events of the evening. He had been working with a local teacher at the dig site, trying to get more information on the history of the area they were investigating. What he hadn't know was that this Raul was involved in some extracurricular activities that didn't involve finding ancient civilizations.

He'd been surprised when his cell phone had rang while he was at the bar and it had been Raul begging for help. He said a monster was attacking him. Something instinctual had clicked inside him and Tommy had found a quiet place to morph and teleport to the scene.

What he saw wasn't exactly a monster, but it wasn't a human either. It wasn't until he was examining the gang member, who'd passed out from fright, that he recognized the man/creature as the same man he'd spilled his drink on in the bar just a few minutes earlier.

He remembered the look in the man's eyes, not evil or determined the way other monsters and sorcerers were. They more like desperate, piercing, as if he were trying to reach into his soul and control him.

A shudder ran through the former Power Ranger's body. Tommy had seen a lot of strange things in his days as a Power Ranger, but he'd never seen something like that. Was he some kind of alien, out on some vigilante revenge? Or was he something else entirely?

All Tommy knew was, he had to find out.

He reached for the cell phone and checked the time, midnight. It was only ten in Reefside, it was likely that Hailey was still up. He opened the phone to call her, then hesitated. He remembered she wasn't in Reefside this week. She'd gone to the computer conference at MIT. It was much later in Boston than it was here.

No matter, he thought replacing the phone on the night table. He could report to her in the morning. There wasn't any emergency about it, he didn't even know what he was looking for yet. As he turned off the light he saw the man's face again in his mind. He would find this mystery man if it took him the rest of his summer vacation. He was in Mexico all summer, he had plenty of time. No rush at all.

*****

**I'm going to stop here because the next chapter gets a little dicey, plus I want to see what you all think? Please review, I'm really nervous about how this is going to go over with fans. **

**Oh, and for the Tanzetti fans do not worry, I'm still working on that series. The final chapters of Reborn have been written and Legacy is nearly complete. Don't forget, you can interact with me concerning any of my stories at the Caer Arianrhod forum. See my profile for details. **

**Thanks in advance to those who review. Happy reading!!**


	4. First Night Stand

**A couple of quick notes. One I discovered while doing some fact checking that Hayley's name is misspelled. From this point on I'll be using the correct spelling. Also, my time of year is a little off. Cancun is on the same schedule as us, which would make this story take place in early February, (winter, not summer) however, weather-wise it makes little difference. **

**First lemon scene ever. Yay! I could say I'm trying to write in the Twilight tradition which is more open to that sort of thing, but the truth is I've just always wanted to do a sex scene with Billy. Enjoy!! **

*******

Meanwhile

**********

The door slammed loudly behind him as Billy walked out the back entrance of the building. The cold Boston air hit him hard, but he didn't care, he found a small hollow in-between the buildings where the wind wouldn't be so intense. He had no idea why he had agreed to come to this stupid party. It was nothing but a bunch of overgrown geeks chatting about latest Linxus software. Boring.

He collapsed against the wall careful not to spill the nearly full glass of Jack Daniels he was holding and groped through his pockets finally coming up with a box of cigarettes. He pulled one out and placed it between his lips, then reached back into the pocket for his lighter. His thumb snapped against the roll bar several times but it didn't so much as spark.

"Come on," he whispered snapping the cheap lighter again to no avail.

There was a sharp click over his shoulder and a flame appeared in front of him stemming from a very large pink Zippo lighter. He lit the cigarette off the flame then leaned back against the wall. "Thanks," he said as he exhaled his first drag.

"No problem."

The lighter lid snapped closed and Billy finally got a good look at its owner. It was a tall slender woman with long red hair stood before him. She was wearing a black silky dress that was cut at a very steep angle down the middle so that it intersected her breast with just enough showing to really make them stand out. That was all he could see of the dress, however because she was bundled against the Boston weather with a huge black tweed coat.

"You're Billy Cranston aren't you?" she asked.

Billy took another drag off the cigarette before answering. "Who wants to know?"

"Billy Cranston the computer expert?"

He laughed at that. "Maybe."

He sipped from his drink, cutting his eyes over to this mysterious woman.

She smiled at him in the darkness. "Or Billy Cranston the former Blue Power Ranger?"

He nearly choked on his drink and barely avoided spitting the contents of it on her. She stood quietly while he coughed until he had his breathing under control. When he thought he could speak again he said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Her smile widened ever so slightly. "Oh, I think you do."

He looked at her again, her amber hair glinting in the dim streetlight. "Who are you?"

"My name's Hayley Ziktor," she said. "We have a mutual friend, Tomas Oliver."

"Good old Tommy," Billy said dryly. "He always did talk too much. So you're Hayley."

Her smile brightened into one of pure glee reminding him of a schoolgirl. "He told you about me?"

"Just that he had a friend helping him with the Dino Rangers," Billy said. "I wasn't exactly available."

"I heard about your wife," Hayley said. "I'm sorry."

Billy just shrugged and took another sip of whiskey. "It was a long time ago."

She nodded but didn't say anything more. He was grateful for that. He really didn't want to talk about it. She seemed to sense that and changed the subject.

"I heard your talk this afternoon," she said. "You're making a lot of progress with the new imprinting codes. That's going to save a lot of time when you prefect it."

Billy shrugged again. "It's just a code," he said. "Codes are easy." Codes he could talk about. Codes were logical, predictable; they had a meaning and a clear purpose. Codes didn't snap at any random moment and commit murder in cold blood.

"Hmmm." Hayley took a step closer to him. "So why are you out here instead of at the party?"

Billy shrugged. "I could ask you the same question."

"Oh, I'm talking to you," she replied casually.

Billy laughed again and drained the last of his drink. "So what if I went inside? Would you talk to me then?"

She shrugged. "I might," she said. She took another step which put her only inches from him. "If that's what you want to do."

She moved a little closer and he caught a whiff of strawberries. He found himself wondering if that's what she'd taste like. "What if I didn't want to go back to the party?" he said. "What if I wanted to go somewhere else? Would you come talk to me then?"

Her mouth twitched a little but she didn't back away. "I could do that," she said. "Or, we don't have to talk at all, we could just…go somewhere else."

The streetlight was dim, but he was pretty sure if he looked down about now he'd see a lot more than that low cut dress revealed. He stood up a little straighter, no longer leaning on the wall.

"What did you have in mind?"

*****

They were making out before they got out of the elevator, and most of the way down the hall to her room. She could barely control her hands long enough to slide the card key into the door. Once inside Billy found himself being slammed against the closed door, Hayley's lips at his neck, her fingers clawing at the buttons on his shirt. She wasn't a large woman, but she was definitely one who knew what she wanted, and wasted no time in getting there.

Buttons conquered she pushed back the shirt until it fell off his shoulders and onto the floor. Her head bent over his chest, her hands ran over every inch of his skin. God they were so warm. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her against him, then moved upward until he felt the top of the zipper at the back of her dress. It slid down and he bent his head over her, devouring her white shoulder and working down to the top of the black satin bra. He ran his tongue right along that boundary line and she let out a gasp.

She reached one hand behind her and he felt the bra come loose. He hooked one finger on it, right between her breasts, intending to finish what he started, but in the same moment she stepped back, her one finger hooked in the waistline of his pants, pulling him along toward the bed.

Her legs hit the back of the bed and she stopped to kiss him and Billy felt the first rush of nerves. "I haven't done this in awhile," he said softly, surprised how much his voice was shaking. For the first time in a long time he wished he hadn't had so much to drink that night. "I didn't...I mean I don't have…"

She put a hand to his lips to stop him. "It's okay," she said. "I'll take care of it."

She smiled again and the finger on his lips moved down his chin and neck and continued on as she sat on the bed in front of him. Her deft fingers undid his pants slowly and he gasped at the relief as he his erection was released from its bindings. He looked down in time to see her slide the whole thing in her mouth and a small moan escaped at the sensation of her warm mouth around him.

He was overcome by the pleasure and he knew he was close. Some small part of his brain told he should say something, tell her to stop, but the words wouldn't come.

Hayley seemed to sense it though, and pulled back before he lost complete control. She moved back on the bed and followed her, collapsing on his back, his knees barely able to support him anymore. She climbed on top of him, positioning herself right over him.

She sank down onto him, letting him penetrate her. She shifted again and he felt himself go deeper and knew he was all the way inside her. His heart was racing but she moved slowly, letting him enjoy the sensation. Her rhythm was slow and steady at first, her breast swaying gently over him. He reached up, taking one in his hand, guiding it into his mouth. She cried out and took him harder. He could feel the wetness from her increase as she reached climax and suddenly he wanted…need to come.

He shifted his hips and rolled, landing on top of her without breaking stride. He was thrusting into her, and she was crying out in pleasure, screaming his name. His whole body tightened as his release came at last. He knew he was going to collapse and moved away, falling onto the bed beside her.

He felt the bed shift then Hailey's head was on his shoulder. She was still out of breath when she spoke, "And I always thought you were shy."

"Where'd you get that idea?"

"From Zordon's records, and Tommy."

Billy laughed again and moved his arm so he could wrap it around her, her head cuddled under his chin. "I told you, Tommy talks too much."


	5. The Thing About Nightmares

_It had been a great day. Cestro had a breakthrough with the power converters and they'd finished the latest project in record time. Billy was already laughing to himself in anticipation of telling Cestria as he stepped onto the porch of their small house. Aquitar being a water planet they'd had to build a special cabin on an island just outside the central city. Cestria always said she didn't mind, but he knew she missed the underwater dwellings that most Aquitians called home. _

_The door was open, not an unusual thing. She usually left it open for him when she got home first. He stepped in anticipating the smells of dinner cooking, tasting the salty tang of her skin when she came to kiss him hello. But instead of spices and roasting meat the house was filled with sour rotten smell that reminded him of dead fish and rusted metal. Blood. _

_"Cestria?" he called walking through the pristine living room toward the kitchen. "Sweetheart what are you-"_

_The words caught in his throat as he entered the kitchen. There wasn't a single surface that wasn't splattered with blood. His mouth went dry and he could barely breathe as he stepped around the counter and looked down to the floor. _

_That's when he screamed. _

*****

Billy jumped in bed, the scream caught in his throat. He sat up in panic not recognizing where he was. It was too dark to be his bedroom. A soft moan from beside him caught his attention and then he remembered.

Hayley.

He turned and could just make out her form in the darkness. She had rolled away from him and was fast asleep with the covers pulled around her naked body. He hadn't woken her up with his dream. Good. Billy took a deep breath and bit back the wave of nausea that was all too familiar most mornings, both from the bad dreams and from the overuse of alcohol the night before. He rested his head on his knees and forced himself to breathe.

When he was sure he wasn't going to throw up he slowly stepped out of bed, his head spinning with thoughts. What was doing here? It wasn't just the waking up in a stranger's bed that bothered him, it was his whole life. As he groped through the dark for his clothes he tried to remember where it all went wrong. It hadn't happened all at once. He'd come back to earth a few months after Cestria's death. He wanted a fresh start, to get away from everything that reminded him of her, and how she died. Things had been good for awhile in school, until the nightmares started. He'd thrown himself into his work and gotten through school quickly. His work on Aquitar had helped him move up in the ranks and the work gave him something else to think about besides his dead wife. But the nightmares didn't stop.

At first the drinking was just to help him sleep. A few shots before bed to take the edge off, one more in the morning to relax. For awhile he was able to clean up long enough to get some project done for work or class, then he'd have another nightmare and everything would spiral out of control again. But now he could barely even manage that. Even with Kim on his ass every day he could barely pull it together to keep up. He'd had to give up his chance at a professorship at MIT because he couldn't stay straight long enough to complete the paperwork. If it weren't for Dave paying him for research on the side he would have lost his house months ago.

But last night, last night had been different. Hayley had been different. It hadn't just been sex. They'd talked. She was easy to talk to, and smart. They talked about his work, her work, his days with the Rangers. She knew everything already so there was no need to hide or make up lies to cover the time he'd been away or strange things that had happened in his past. He was actually impressed how much she knew; apparently she'd studied the old archives from the Command Center thoroughly. For the first time he could remember he'd fallen asleep without thinking about the nightmares, without fearing the blood and the smell, god why did he remember that smell, and the screaming.

Obviously, nothing was good enough to change that. He'd never be beyond it. With a sigh he started pulling on his clothes, hoping Hailey wouldn't be too disappointed with him when she woke up.

*****

Hayley woke to see the soft light of pre-dawn coming through the curtains. She snuggled deeper into the pillow then remembered she wasn't alone. She wondered if Billy was an early riser. Well, there was one way to find out.

She rolled over and reached across the bed only to find the space was empty. She sat up and looked around finally seeing the former Blue Ranger lacing up his shoes.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

He looked up in surprise. He obviously hadn't intended to wake her up before leaving. "I, uh, I wasn't sure if you'd want me here so…"

Hayley almost laughed. He may have let his dark side come out a little last night, but he was still the same shy Billy she knew from Zordon's archives.

"Of course I want you here, you can stay with me all week if you want. Give me a minute, we'll go to breakfast." She shifted out of the bed and rushed to her suitcase against the wall. She pulled out the first t-shirt she could find and pulled it over her head.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Billy said from behind her.

Hayley turned to look at him. He was only steps from the door and looked ready to bolt. His eyes were surrounded by dark circles and he was sweating. He didn't look much like the Billy she'd watched and learned from for so many years in Tommy's underground base. But last night he'd been that Billy. They way he'd talked to her, things he said. It was like she'd always known him. Every since she'd met Tommy her life had been a series of lies and manipulations. Tommy may have borne that burden with grace but such stoicism didn't come to everyone so easily. If it weren't for the coffee shop and the students she tutored and helped there she knew she'd have gone insane years ago. All she ever wanted was someone to share that part of her life with, just one person she could be herself with.

Well, okay, she did have Tommy, but, well…Tommy was Tommy. Tommy was not the kind of guy you got involved with beyond friendship. He had his own issues in the "relationship" department and bearing that burden was not something she was interested in.

When she'd been walking into the mixer that evening and recognized Billy it was like something just came alive for her. Here was someone who would understand better than anyone what it was like to live a life not even your closest family can know about. Billy had lived a life most people couldn't imagine, couldn't believe possible. Even Tommy's experience paled in comparison.

"What are you talking about?" she said in response to Billy's statement. "I just need a minute."

"I'm sure you're busy with the convention-"

"I told you, I'm here all week," she said. "There will be plenty of interesting lectures to attend."

She finished dressing and walked up to him, but when she reached out to take his hand Billy took a step back.

"Look," he said. "You're a really nice girl, Hayley, and I don't know what you think of me, but I'm not the guy from those archives anymore. You don't want to get mixed up with me, believe me."

Hailey narrowed her eyes at him, a burning anger suddenly rising in her chest. "I didn't invite you up here as some lovesick fangirl. I'm not like that."

"I know," Billy said. "Which is even more reason you should stay away from me. Trust me on that."

With that he turned and left the room. Hayley called after him but the only response was the door slamming shut behind him. She sank down on the edge of the bed, her chest aching.

_God, what did I just do? _

*****

**Some fun trivia: Hayley's last name, Ziktor, is from Karl Ziktor, the bad guy on VR Troopers, which is coincidentally the show that Jason Frank (Tommy) was supposed to be the star of before he was called back to be the White Ranger. Just thought you all would love to know that! Don't forget to review! **


	6. Subterainian

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything, just playing in someone else's backyard. **

*****

"Not human, what do you mean not human?"

Tommy threw the file of paperwork on the already overflowing folding table that served as his makeshift desk at the dig site.

"I mean, he looked like a human, but he wasn't."

The other end of the phone was silent. He could hear a slight tapping noise and knew Hayley was drumming her fingers on the computer table, a habit she took up when presented with something she didn't know what do with.

"So, is he some kind of monster?"

"I don't know," Tommy said.

"Well, I need more information if you want me to research it," Hayley said.

"I know," Tommy said. "I have an idea of where to look tonight, hopefully I'll find him."

"Good."

"How's the convention going?" Tommy asked. "Learning a lot of new computer codes to impress Ethan with?"

Hayley laughed at that, but it was only halfhearted. "Yeah," was all she said in response.

Tommy sat down in the rickety folding chair by his desk. "Okay, what's up?"

"What do you mean?" she said, her voice firmer now, but Tommy knew better.

"You've been distracted all morning, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"It's nothing," she said. "It doesn't matter."

"Hey, no secrets, remember," Tommy said. "You can talk to me."

He heard a sigh at the other end of the phone and she paused before responding. "I met one of your old Ranger friends, Billy Cranston."

"Billy? He's there?" Tommy said brightening up at the memory of his old friend. "How is he?"

"He's…Tommy he's not in good shape."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I mean, I've been asking around about him, and…not many people have nice things to say."

Tommy shook his head. "Well you know he's never been the same since Cestria died."

"I think it's more than that," Hayley said. "When was the last time you talked to him?"

"I don't know, I think I emailed him a few weeks ago. He doesn't answer his phone much, he's usually busy with the university."

"He doesn't work for the university," Hayley said.

That made Tommy sit up a little. "What? He told me he got a job with one of those big schools he went to."

"He applied for professorship at MIT," Hayley said. "But he never completed his application. He does freelance work for some of the teacher there, that's it."

"That's strange," Tommy said. _Why would Billy lie about that_?

"Yeah," Hayley said. "It's probably nothing, just forget I said anything."

"No, it's cool," Tommy said. "I'll tell you what, I'll give him a call. He's probably just focused on some new project and doesn't want distractions from teaching and stuff. Don't worry about it. Just enjoy the convention. And if you see him again tell him I said hi."

"Yeah," Hayley said again in a tone that told Tommy she had no intention of dropping it. "I have to get to a presentation. Can I call you later?"

"Anytime," Tommy said. "Have fun."

"You too. Bye."

Tommy pressed the button on the phone to clear the call and then pulled up his contact list and scrolled through to Billy's name. He hit the call button and waited through four rings before voicemail picked up.

"_You've reached William Cranston. Leave a message_."

"Hey, Billy, it's Tommy. Sorry I haven't called in awhile but I'm on sabbatical in Mexico and I had some time. Call me back, we can catch up."

He left his number and hung up the phone, trying to remember if Boston was one or two hours ahead of Cancun. He shrugged, he could try again later. In the meantime he had other monsters to chase, at least he hoped it was just another monster.

*****

Sunset once again. Edward strolled along the beach in the dark. Several yards ahead there was a beach party of some kind. He turned and headed for the main road, not wanting to be around people tonight. After the disaster last night he didn't think he'd want any human interaction for awhile. He followed the road some distance until he was near the outskirts of the city. Once away from the crowds and prying eyes he began to run. He didn't hit full speed, but he ran much faster than would appear normal. He was running through sand and gravel in the desert several miles from the city. After while he stopped, not really knowing where he was, but it didn't matter. He was alone.

He'd hunted only a few days ago so food was not his goal, just peace. Out here it was just…quiet. It was strange that after spending every day trapped in a hotel room he would crave solitude, but there was something peaceful about a wide open space, a space of pure silence and depth. By day the hotel room he stayed in was riddled with people. As if the shouting and slamming of doors wasn't enough, he had to hear the thoughts of every person that passed by his door or window. He spent most of the day looking for distractions, reading or surfing the internet, but he could only take so much. He'd have to move on soon, maybe to some of the jungles down in Brazil. There was more rain down there, not to mention more cloud cover. He closed his eyes and inhaled the warm desert air.

His eyes shot open. Apparently he wasn't as far from humanity as he had thought. The breeze brought him the scent of humans, very close humans. What were people doing this far from the city at night?

He took another breath and concentrated, using the instincts he normally used to hunt to find the exact direction to go, then took off running again. It only took minutes to find the place, a small campsite set into the rocky soil. There were at least a dozen brown canvas tents of varying size, most were dark but a few whose thick canvas glowed a rich amber with light. He caught a whiff of kerosene in the air.

Edward opened his mind just a bit and could hear the buzz of thoughts from the people in the camp. Some thoughts were focused on various tasks at hand, preparing meals, relaxing with a book. Many were focused on something they called the site. He kept hearing people think about digging and finding treasure. He looked beyond the camp into the darkness and noticed a depression in the sand several yards from the camp. So they were explorers, scientists of some kind. He stood up to leave when the wind picked up and Edward caught a familiar scent in the air: sand and Crown Royal.

He turned back. It couldn't be, it just couldn't. It was too much of a coincidence that the man who'd spilled whisky down his shirt the night before would be here. He knew he should leave right away, but the temptation was too great.

Slowly, without making a sound, he moved through the camp. The tent he sought was near the center, a small tent, probably a few square feet smaller than his hotel room, set up on metal brackets. Inside a small lamp glowed, lighting worn cloth.

There was no one walking around outside so Edward crept to the front of the tent and looked through the thin split in the tent flap. Sure enough, a man sat on a folding chair at a rickety table leafing through papers. He had short cropped black hair and wore thin wire framed glasses to read. He scribbled furiously on a loose sheet of paper then sighed and slammed the manila folder over the paper and pushed it away. He picked up a small glass teetering on the edge of the table and tilted it back to drink, but found the glass was already empty. He shrugged and stood, then walked to somewhere out of view to Edward from this position.

It was him, Edward was sure. He reached out with his mind, but couldn't focus on the man's thoughts. He caught glimpses of surface thoughts, him looking for his water canteen, running through a mental list of things to do tomorrow, but it was muddled.

Then Edward heard his footsteps approaching the tent entrance and moved quickly, running fast in the direction he was facing. By the time the man stepped out of the tent he was long gone.

When Edward did stop he had to take a moment to figure out where he was. He realized that he'd run toward the dig site and stopped only inches from the edge of the large pit. The site was dark but his eyes could make out a few of the details. The depression was deep, fifty, maybe a hundred feet, but several yards from the edge the land rose again in a near perfect square shape.

Then Edward was aware of a strange humming sound in his ears. The noise was indistinct and well below human pitch. It was coming from the direction of that raised area.

Edward stepped off the edge of the depression and landed on the ground several feet below. The humming was slightly louder down here. Slowly he approached the area and his eyes adjusted to see that it was a large structure made of stone and metal. It reminded him of the pyramid tombs he'd seen in Egypt. He knew there were similar structures in Mexico and South America, perhaps this was one of them. These people had uncovered some ancient burial ground or hidden temple.

Except that for that noise. It got louder as Edward got closer to the structure. He could see the outlines of carvings on the outside. They were like hieroglyphs but in a language he didn't understand. When he was nearly arm's length to the wall he noticed that in the center was a large square panel that was carved to stand out from the rest of the carvings. The square's edges were no more than two feet across and down and inside were raised markings. Now that was strange.

He reached out to touch the square and the second his fingers connected to the stone his ears were filled with sound. Screaming, moaning, in every pitch of the spectrum ringing in his ears. He tried to step back but he couldn't move, the sound paralyzed him. Then there was a flash of light and more noise, only these sounds were different. It jolted him and his hand dropped from the square. The sound immediately diminished back into that deep hum, but the light he discovered was still there. He turned and saw several spotlights in the area had come on, flooding the trench. He could see shadows of people at the top of the depression. He was caught.

Then a human face loomed in front of him, a tall thin woman with wild curly hair that was only partially tamed by a thick scarf tied around her head. He hadn't even heard her approach.

"You!" she screamed. "Who the hell are you? This is a private dig site. Where did you come from?"

She was near screaming these questions in his face but Edward's head was still spinning and he couldn't find his voice to answer, though he was totally lost on what he'd say anyway.

"Hey!" a deeper voice shouted from the surface. Everyone turned to see a man standing there. It was him, Crown Royal himself. He walked to the ladder not far from where Edward had jumped and climbed down. He approached Edward and grabbed his arm. "Where the hell have you been?"

Again Edward opened his mouth to speak but the words didn't come. The man moved again and Edward caught a glimpse into his mind, amplified by the touch.

_Play along. Please let him just play along_.

"I told you I'd bring you down here tomorrow," he said. "You just couldn't wait, could you?"

"Uh, no," Edward said. "Guess not."

The man sighed and shook his head.

"You know this man?"

"Yeah," said Crown Royal. "He's the linguist I told you about…"

By then Edward's head had cleared enough to play along and he stepped forward and extended his hand. "Eddie Whittaker."

The woman threw a dubious glance at Crown Royal then at Edward. Luckily she didn't shake his hand. "Susan Freeburn. You're from Harvard?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

"You don't sound like a Bostonian."

"Well I wasn't born there," he said. "I was born in Chicago."

"Hmmm…" The woman was obviously not convinced. Crown Royal didn't miss her skepticism either and clapped Edward on the back.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get you back to the tent, and we can sort it out in the morning."

"Good idea," Edward said.

The man still had his arm on Edward's back and moved it to his shoulder, taking a firm grip on him. Edward knew he could easily break out of the grip, but with so many witnesses he figured it was best to keep up appearances. They marched up the makeshift stairway at the other end of the trench and through the tent. Apparently the curly haired woman had raised the whole camp with her alert. They all seemed to keep a safe distance from them however. Edward could hear in their thoughts a mix of fear of the stranger, and reverence for the man escorting him.

"I've been looking for you," Crown Royal said softly.

"Really?" Edward said just as softly. "I hadn't heard."

They were near the man's tent now and didn't stop but pulled Edward into it. "It seems I owe you a drink."

They entered the tent and the man released his grip on Edward's shoulder and walked to the far side. The tent was smaller than Edward guessed. There was little more than an army cot with sleeping bag, and rickety folding table with matching chair. There was a small cabinet on the far side of the bed, fit in between the tent wall and the cot. The man had opened it and pulled out a bottle of his favorite whisky and was pouring it into two glasses.

"You're name is Tommy Oliver, right?" Edward said, remembering their introductions from the night before.

"That's right," he said. "Most people around here call me Doctor Oliver though."

"Doctor of what?"

"Paleontology."

"I didn't see any bones in that trench, Doctor," Edward replied dryly.

Tommy smiled. "You weren't looking for bones, though, were you?"

He held the glass of whiskey out, but Edward made no move to take it. "Thanks, but I don't drink."

Tommy shrugged. "I have water, or juice. I'd offer you milk but it's powdered, pretty nasty."

Edward smiled. "No, I mean, I don't drink at all, at least, not anything you would have."

This got a raised eyebrow from the good doctor but he said nothing as he set the spare glass on the desk and took a seat in the chair.

"Have a seat," he said. "What's you're name, then?"

Edward sat on the edge of the bed while Tommy sipped at his expensive whiskey. "I told you my name."

"You expect me to believe 'Eddie Whittaker' is you're real name?"

"I usually prefer Edward. You want to tell me why you were looking for me?"

Tommy nodded putting the glass to his lips again. "What are you?"

Edward looked him straight in the eye. "I'm a vampire."

His eyebrows went up ever so slightly. "And I'm a fucking Power Ranger."

"You don't believe me?"

"I didn't say that."

"Would you like me to prove it?"

Tommy's eyes perked up at this. Edward could feel a jolt of excitement go through his mind. "Can you?"

Edward leaned forward slowly and reached out his hand. Tommy didn't move until Edward wrapped his hand around his forearm. "Holy shit!"

Edward let go but he knew he had Tommy's attention now. "What else can you do?"

"I move fast, faster than you can see, I'm stronger than normal human as well." He paused and reached out trying to grasp what Tommy was thinking, but the man's mind was like a vice. He could feel the emotions on the surface, excitement, curiosity, but no definite thoughts or images like it usually was.

"So what does a fast, strong vampire want at an archeological dig site?" Tommy asked.

"Nothing. That was an accident."

Tommy raised his eyebrows not convinced. "You just wandered out here in the desert and stumbled onto our camp?"

"Something like that."

"Hmmm…" Tommy thought about that while taking another sip of whiskey. The smell of it was becoming intoxicating in the small environment.

Edward started at Tommy. He still wasn't sure what to think of him, but from the calm reaction he was pretty sure the man believed him, and he had helped him out of a tight spot. Still, his instincts told him not to stick around.

"Well, Dr. Oliver," he said standing up. "It's been fun, but I think I've taken enough of your time."

The man didn't move, but Edward felt a distinctive change in tone from his mind. "First of all, call me Tommy. Second, I don't suppose I could convince you to stick around and play the linguist roll, even for a day? I'm gonna have a hell of a time with Susan tomorrow."

"As curious as I am about that building down there, but I'm afraid Susan will be your problem. I don't go out during the day."

"Why is that?"

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Vampire, remember? Sunlight?"

"Sunlight will kill you?"

"Not exactly, but trust me, its something you don't want to see."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tommy said. "Do you want a ride back to town?"

"I can manage," Edward said. He headed for the tent flap and as he reached it the sound of humming filled his ears again. He turned back to Tommy. "By the way, that building, do you know what it is?"

Tommy shook his head. "We think it's either a temple of some kind, or a burial chamber."

"Don't open it."

He turned to the tent door and just as he lifted it he heard Tommy's voice behind him, spoken barely above a whisper, "Do you hear them too?"

"Yes," Edward said. "I hear them screaming." He turned and looked at Tommy putting as much pleading in his eyes as possible. "Don't open that door."

Without waiting for a response he stepped through the tent flap quickly and disappeared into the night.

*****

**Sorry for the delay in this. As you've noticed there's a lot of stories on the board and this one got a little lost. Plotbunnies are moving slow on this one at the moment. Hope you enjoyed. Remember all reviews are welcome! **


End file.
